Sprint has hit a snag in their civil suit to prevent the merger of rivals AT&T and T-Mobile on the grounds that such a deal would kill competition, stifle innovation and result in higher prices for consumers . A US District judge has denied Sprint's request to obtain internal AT&T documents, which are a vital part of the discovery phase of the lawsuit. While Judge Ellen Huvelle stopped short of AT&T's request of dismissing the case, it dealt a huge blow to Sprint's hopes of suing the merger away.
Explaining the decision, Huvelle said that Sprint does not "stand in the shoes of the consumer or the Department of Justice," and therefore, access to internal documents would not be "efficient or fair." The Department of Justice is also suing to prevent the merger and may stand a better chance of obtaining the information that Sprint is after. Judge Huvelle is presiding over both cases and still has yet to make a decision on whether or not to dismiss them all together.
Source: Reuters; Via: Electronista
